Box-marking machine



Fb. 16, 1932 T, s SCOTT 1,845,726

BOX MARKING MACHINE ,Filed June 18, 1928 INVENTOR 3a moms s. coTT 9 I 5w w F-E 1;,7,

ATTORNEY I Patented Feb. 16,1932

PATENT OFFICE mom 5. SCOTT, OI COBDOVA, TERRITORY OI ALASKA.

BOX-MARKING MACHINE Application filed June 18,

This invention relates to improvements in box marking devices, and moreparticularly to box marking means of a character especiall adapted foruse in canneries where woo en boxes of packed or canned goods arerequired to be marked when delivered from the cannery chute.

Explanatory to the invention, it will be here stated that with thepresent-day im- 19 proved methods of canning, a very elaborate system ofbox marking has grown into vogue and the matter of marking packed boxes,or cases, of goods with appropriate marks of identification has becomequite a problem. It is now common practice to do this work by hand,first by marking one side of the box or case, then the other side. Thereare a great many disadvantages in this method, namely: It is very slow,requires many persons to carry on the work, is expensive and, when moreboxes are marked than are required for a days run, the markings on theextra boxes must necessarily be removed or covered over. Also, there isalways confusion where hand marking is carried on.

In view of the above, it has been the principal object of this inventionto provide a mechanically operating box marking mechanism that may beassociated with the canning, or packing, line so as to receive thepacked crates or boxes and to automatically mark them on both sides asthey are delivered from the cannery chute.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a machine of the abovecharacter in which the type characters may be easily and readilychanged.

A still further object is to provide a marking device that requirespractically no attention while in operation.

More specificall the invention resides in the provision of a ox markingmachine comprising a guide chute through which the boxes to be mar edare delivered from the cannery line and adjacent which, at o positesides, are rolls on which the type c aracters for printing are mounted;these rolls being disposed in positions for rollingcontact with oppositesides of 'the boxes as they are de' livered along the chute, and meansis provid- 1988. Serial No. 288,142.

ed for inking the type characters as the rolls revolve in contact withthe boxes sides.

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details ofconstruction and in the combination of parts as is hereinafterdescribed.

In accomplishing these objects, I have provided the lmproved details ofconstruction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated 1n theaccompanying drawings, wherein Flgure 1 is a perspective v1ew of a boxmarking machine embodied by the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

F1gure 3 1s a cross section taken substantlally on the line 3--3 inFigure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged, sectional detail of one of the type carryingrolls.

Referring more in detail to the drawin 1 designates a trough, or chute,along w ich the boxes or cases to be marked, as designated at 2, may bedelivered from the cannery line; this trough being a continuation of oran extension that is attached to the cannery chute. In its preferredconstruction, it consists of two angular guideways rovidin horlzontalbase anges and parallel vertica side flanges which serve to guide theboxes pro erly between the printing devices.-

Fixed to the underside of the guide chute 1s a transverse beam 3 havingits opposite end portions 3a extended beyond the sides of the trough.Mounted on the end portions of the beam, b means of hinges 4, arevertical standar s 5 provided at their upper ends with spindles 6 onwhich rolls 7 are mounted. Each of these rolls is equipped with anencircling band 8, the opposite edges of which are turned outwardly andthen inward'l to provide a dove-tailed roove within wliich the baseportions of t e type characters 9 are seated, and the rolls are so heldthat when a box is delivered through the chute they will engage inrolling contact with its opposite side walls. The rolls 7 are alsoprovided about their lower edges with encircllng, padded bands 10 whichcontact with the box walls to provide substantial, frictional contact toinsure rotation of the rolls without possible slippage. As isillustrated in Figure 4, the

type characters 9 ma be made in individual pieces of rubber, wit flangedbase ortions adapted to be removabl applied to t e dovetailed grooveprovided y the bands 8. This construction permits easy and readychanging of the type characters whenever such is re uired.

he hinge mountings 4 of the standards 5 permit the standards to swinginwardly or outwardly, and coiled springs 12 are attached to the sideflanges of the trough and to brackets 13 that are fixed to the standardsso as to thereby maintain a certain desired pressure of the rolls andthe type characters against the box sides and to thereby insuresatisfactory printing.

Ink is applied to the type by means of inking rolls 15 which arerevolubly carried at the swinging ends of yoke-like mounting arms 16which, in turn, are pivotally mounted by vertical pins 17 fixed in theouter ends of the brackets 13; these latter being extended horizontallyfrom the standards 5 and be ond the mounting rolls, as is best shown inigure 3. The inking rolls have covers of felt, or other absorbentmaterial, as designated at 15a, that is suitable for holding theprinting ink, and the rolls are held in contact with the type by meansof coiled springs 19 which are attached to the arms 16 and to themounting standards 5.

I have also provided means for preventing the type rolls from turningexcept when boxes are moving in contact therewith and which are operatedautomatically by the boxes are movin in contact therewith and which areoperate automatically by the boxes in passing the rolls. These holdingdevices consist of hell crank levers 20 that are pivotally mounted bypins 21 on the standards 5 directly below the type rolls. One arm ofeach bell crank, as. designated at 20a, is adapted to engage with theunderside of its corresponding roll to hold the latter against turningand its other arm, 20b,.is connected by means of a link 22 with a lever23 that is pivotally mounted on the adjacent side flange of the chute.Coiled springs 24.- are attached to the standards and to the levers 23so as to hold the latter yieldably in such positions that the arms 20aof the bell cranks are caused to press upwardly against the type rollsto prevent free rotation. The inner ends of the levers 23 project intothe chute so as to be engaged by the boxes in passing and to be movedthereby so as to rock the levers and bell cranks and to release thelatter from the type rolls so that the latter may revolve free whenengaged by the boxes. As soon as the levers 23 are disengaged by theboxes, the bell cranks are snapped back against the type rolls to stopthem and to hold them in proper position for the next oncoming box.

With the device so constructed, its operation would be as follows:Proper, or desired,

tyfi: characters are first mounted on the type ro by applying theflanged base portions of the type within the dove-tailed ooves of theroll encircling bands 8, and t en the ink rolls are properly inked sothat ink may be transferred therefrom to the type when the latter isbrought into contact with the rolls.' The boxes to be marked are thendelivered through the chute and, in passing the levers 23, they move thelatter so that through the connecting links 22 the bell cranks 20 arereleased from the type rolls. Then, as each box passes between the typerolls, the latter are drawn ieldably into contact with the side wallsereof by the rings 12 and are caused to roll thereon. This causes thetype to be impressed first against the ink rolls and then against thebox sides so as to print the desired characters on the box. As soon as abox disengages the levers 23, the holding devices 20 are released toengage the rolls 7 to hold the type in proper position for the next box.

Printing devices of this character may be made to accommodate boxes ofvarious widths and heights and, by hingedly mounting the standards 5 onwhich the type rolls are carried, the latter will automatically adjustthemselves to any slight variation in the box. Such devices greatlyfacilitate the markin of boxes since they provide for marking each boximmediately as it leaves the cannery chute; they eliminate anypossibility of mistakes in marking the boxes; avoid the possibility ofmarking too many boxes and do the work automatically and withoutconfusion.

It is readily apparent that various details of construction andcombinations of parts could be changed without departing from the spiritof the invention and, for this reason, it is not desired that the claimsbe limited only to the specific details of construction hereinillustrated.

Having thus described In invention, what I claim as new therein andesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A box marking device comprising a. guideway along which boxes may bedelivered for marking, rolls mounted at opposite sides of the guidewayfor rolling contact with boxes passing between them, type charactersmounted by said rolls, means for applying ink to the characters andmeans releasable by boxes delivered through the guideway for preventingfree rotation of the rolls.

2. A box marking device comprising a guideway along which boxes may beadvanced for marking, rolls mounted at opposite sides of the guidewayfor rolling contact with opposite sides of boxes delivered between them,means for mounting type characters on the rolls for contact with the boxwalls, means for applying ink to the characters, a holding latch foreach roll and release levers for the sumac latches mounted in theguideway for contact by boxes delivered through the latter.

3. A box marking device comprising a guideway along which boxes may bedelivered or marking, standards hingedly mounted at opposite sides ofthe guideway, rolls mounted at the upper, swinging ends of the standardsfor rolhng contact with the opposite side walls of boxes deliveredthrough the aideway, resilient means connected wit the standards fordrawing the rolls against the box walls, type characters mounted by therolls for engaging the box walls, an inking roller associated with eachcharacter roll, yieldable means for causing the inking rolls to be drawna nst the character rolls, a latch associate with each character rollfor preventing free rotation thereof and a release mechanism for thelatches adapted to be actuated by boxes delivered through the guide-Lifned at Cordova, Alaska, this 26th day THOMAS S. SCOTT.

